05
Dec 2024
Harrogate named as one of the happiest places to live in the UK
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Harrogate has once again been named as one of the happiest places to live in the UK.
The spa town placed fifth in a study commissioned by Rightmove.
More than 35,000 people in Britain were surveyed and asked how they felt about their area based on 15 'key happiness factors', which ranged from the sense of togetherness within the community and access to green spaces, to the feeling of belonging.
The Suffolk town of Woodbridge took top spot. The London borough of Richmond was second, falling from first place last year, while Hexham in Northumberland was ranked third. Monmouth in Wales ranked fourth.
Harrogate was the highest ranking Yorkshire location in fifth, followed by Skipton in sixth. The average asking price for a property in Harrogate is £394,000 and the average asking price for monthly rent is £1,439, the survey says.
Last year Harrogate was ranked the 12th happiest place to live.
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Rightmove said that the study found “people living in Scotland, Wales, and the south-west of England were the happiest overall, while on average, east and west Midlands residents didn’t score their areas as highly".
It also noted that Gen Z (18-24-year-olds) indicated they felt that moving somewhere new might make them happier while people aged 55+ were more likely to love where they live.
Rightmove property expert Tim Bannister said:
For over a decade we’ve been asking residents what makes them feel happy about where they live, as feeling happy is about more than the home itself. First placed Woodbridge appears to have a lot of the factors that people are looking for from an area, including being close to a river, and a National Landscape. It’s the intangible factors of feeling proud to live in an area, feeling a sense of belonging, and feeling able to be yourself that are the biggest drivers of happiness.
There are some interesting trends revealed by this year’s study, such as how those who live in a rural location are more likely to be happy than urban dwellers, who often live in busy cities. It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs.
The top ten Happiest places to live by Rightmove
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